improving your attic ventilation

Is your attic ventilated properly? When the temperatures outside get hot, can you feel the heat coming from your attic into your living space? If so, there is a good chance that your attic hasn't been properly ventilated. Some attic spaces weren't designed well and trap the hot air that the sun is creating instead of letting it ventilate out of the house. When this happens, the interior of your home will heat up more quickly and you will pay more to try to maintain a comfortable temperature. This blog will show you all about attic ventilation and teach you what needs to be done to improve it.

Comparing Desiccant And Compressor Dehumidifiers

Posted on:
1 June 2016

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Dehumidifiers, like their name suggests, work to remove moisture from the air in order to maintain comfort levels within your home and improve overall air quality. There are two main types of dehumidifiers on the market, both of which perform the same function but do so in a different manner. Understanding the differences in what both desiccant and compressor dehumidifiers have to offer can help you choose the type of dehumidifier that best suits your home's needs.

Desiccant Dehumidifiers

Desiccant dehumidifiers work through the use of a desiccant, which is a type of material that will absorb and condense water. Silica, which is found in many packages, is a desiccant. The air of your home will be pulled into the dehumidifier, and the moisture will be attracted to the desiccant. The desiccant is then heated, causing the moisture within it to condense and collect within the unit for removal. The main benefit of desiccant dehumidifiers is that their effectiveness is not linked to the temperature outside of the unit: because desiccants will attract water no matter what, they can remove moisture from the air even in cooler climates. Additionally, desiccant dehumidifiers tend to be very quiet, as they do not make use of fans or compressors.

However, because they do not have fans or compressors, desiccant dehumidifiers are more passive in their operation when compared to their compressor counterparts, which means that it can take longer for the benefits of a desiccant dehumidifier to be felt.

Compressor Dehumidifiers

Compressor dehumidifiers work by pulling in air into the dehumidifier so that it comes into contact with a series of cold coils. The difference in temperature between the warm air and the colder coils causes the water to condense and fall into the receptacle in the bottom of the unit. The use of fans to actively continuing to pull air into the dehumidifier means that compressor dehumidifiers tend to be much more effective than their desiccant counterparts. They work faster and will maintain comfort levels to a much greater extent.

However, compressor dehumidifiers do not operate well in cooler climates, as the difference between the air temperature and the temperature of the coils is not great enough to cause condensation to occur. Furthermore, because compressor dehumidifiers make constant use of fans and compressors, they represent a higher operating cost in terms of your energy bill, which can add up to a significant amount over time. To learn more, visit a website like http://mikesbremenserviceinc.com.